RJN12

I just started a few years ago. Took two lessons, went on the driving range a few times and then ventured out on a very short public 9 hole course on my own. I went at a time where no-one was around. Did this for 10-15 rounds and then ventured on to a bigger course. After 2 years, I have still yet to play 18 holes, but enjoying it more, as I don’t tire myself out too much. Although the range can be helpful, I don’t think it really compares to playing a course.

Fab - thanks! Stupid spinach lies can ruin a hole for me (and play havoc on my wrists), so this is a lifesaver. It just seemed to good to be true, so wanted to ensure I had understood the rule correctly 😊!

As a new golfer looking to establish a handicap this year, I want to ensure that I keep score 100% correct. I understand that Mulligans are not allowed, but seems that the Stroke and Distance rule provide some relief? E.g. a few of our holes have spinach type rough in from of the ladies’ tee, and I occasionally duff a drive and end up there - 3 feet ahead. I usually take a mulligan and re-tee, as it is a hopeless lie. Can I do this with an extra shot penalty? I.e. the original tee-shot + penalty + new tee-shot = 3 shots? Much appreciate your response!

I’m game. If you set up a thread, I’ll be there. It would help to get some advice from other women (although obviously the knowledgable boys on the site should always be welcome!) and thanks for your book tips. Will look them up!

Nice to have a fellow new golfing woman. Good luck for 2018!

I am going to be an optimist and join the group with the hope of getting to 100 by year-end 2018. Started playing in July/August 2017, and although I played very often for 4 months only made marginal progress, partially due to a lot of injuries. After a particularly bad one in (ripped shoulder muscle), and a sprained thumb from skiing decided to take a break until all my injuries are healed. But my strategy for 2018: Play only short courses until May, obsessively practice shortgame and putting, and learn to hit my driver (I am a woman, so need the extra yards) and take breaks if in any pain. And relax and enjoy! Wishing everyone a great sub-100 2018.

Hope you are doing better Ricardo. I ended up with a pulled back muscle, so have now decided to take a two month break, as the injuries seemed to be compounding. So here’s to a fresh start in 2018 for us newbies!!

I’d rather see a more flexible attitude but some standards. It’s already an expensive sport to get into, and clothing adds a bunch to the threshold. I recently started playing and the costs are piling up as my much as my normal sports wear isn’t allowed in my club. As a woman I find some of the requirements a bit too much - length of skirt max 3 inches above the knees, no leggings, collars required. It is a bit like catholic school. Adding to that many golf shops in Europe/UK don’t carry women’s golf clothes, so it’s really tricky to get kitted out in regulation wear. Simple things like requiring golf shoes, no tank tops and no frayed jeans should be enough to keep away those that aren’t taking the game seriously.

Went out and shot my first bogey on a quite complex 333 yd par 4 today (never shot below 9 before). I do think that collecting these scores helps me see that it CAN be done, and is hugely motivating.

Haha - I actually use a similar chart for training (completely different context though). As a woman and a Scandi, I am conditioned to think I am rubbish at everything, so just keep pounding away (methodically) until someone reminds me I’m not too bad. Sites like this one is really great to connect with others and remind myself that everyone is a beginner at some point. But in this particular instance it was a bit harder as most of the posts here were about breaking 100 - and I’d be delighted to approach 120. It’s hard peeling off the layers when it seems that you are terrible at everything. Something struck me about what you said above though. I guess I am now at a stage where I can actually start working on 1-2 things. The first few months I have had to learn the basics of everything - stance, grip, chipping, full swing basics, putting, pitching, rules, etiquette etc. It’s a lot for an older brain and body. But at least a few of these bits are now ok, so I can now start the real work! I will update this as I progress. Maybe there is another super-hacker like me who will find this and realise they are not the only ones :-)

I have a clever ploy - always book a tee-time immediately before the junior coaching slot - so I never have anyone behind me to ruffle up!

@RandallT thanks again. Will check out Julia! And Ooops, I got it wrong - it was actually 125/160/180 https://www.golflink.com/tips_5459_average-distance-each-golf-club.html so I guess that on a good day, I’m close to the low range - and you are probably correct on the Koreans! It’s interesting though, that at least at my club the red tees are not that much shorter, certainly not enough to make up for the vast difference in average distance between men and women. Guess I’ll just have to hit the weight room some more!!

@RandallT - thanks a billion for that link- really enlightening! There is a set of 2100 yd junior tees I sometimes use, but they are terrible for teeshots as the grass is often quite high, which is why I abandoned them (and since I enjoy playing, I figured I might as well have the extra playing time - I always play when the course is empty). But reading this plus the advice makes me realise I should probably reconsider and use these more often. I have had two instructors both mainly concerned with the smoothness of my swing. I guess as I have never played a sport involving a club, bat or racquet, my swing is a bit mechanic as I focus a lot on correct moves and it ends up being stiff and tense (probably also how I sustained all those injuries). I have been given a bunch of at-home drills for this. They have certainly helped my shot be far straighter, but as I often hit the ball in the wrong place (airshots included!), they often roll rather than take off - hence the 50-70 yards on wet grass. I really like the idea of asking my instructor to play a couple of holes with me and have him identify the most critical issues. So far we have worked one “skill” at a time (full swing, chipping, putting etc), so I haven’t had a review of my most critical areas for i provemeng. If you don’t mind my asking: what would you consider a resonable woman’s tee distance? I only use 3-wood and below for now and I have seen numbers like 180/210/250 for short/medium/high respectively. I am 45, but fairly strong and in shape, so I figure I should be able to get to at least the 200 mark eventually (obviously not in the near future), and a but more once I brave the driver. Many thanks again!

Ah @Lihu with the owls. You are the best cheer leader on TST! Have a recommend! Good advice as always. I guess I’ll spend more time on the small one - it’s just that the big one is so pretty and full of wildlife. (and the short one is full of really bad golfers keen to offer unsolicited advice to women).

Thanks all for your advice. @Patch @Club Rat Glad to hear your advice -I guess I have “involuntarily” started following the green to tee approach. My putting and chipping is decent and as my club has good facilities for short game, I get quite a bit of practice in. My 8 and 9 iron play is also vastly improved. Hence my comment that it really is tee and fairway that needs work. @krupa yes, a bit impatient, but being realistic - if I could only inch towards the 110-ish I’d be delighted as it would vastly expand the friends I would be comfortable playing with. I have no big ambitions, but would be nice to get to that point come spring, but right now seems unachievable. I am just hoping that there will be a bit of an aha-moment ?. But glad to hear I am not alone in starting from a low-low! @RussUK love the idea of uneven clubs. Will try that out. I started off bringing only a 4-hybrid, a 7-iron and a sandwedge but now using a near-full set. I think taking that step back could be helpful. @RandallT I appreciate all of the the advice, but for me it’s a choice between range and playing - they are both one hour from my house in opposite directions, and I have had some quite persistent injuries from “ball-wacking” so have to limit my full swing practice. But you’re spot on with the tees. I use the red tees (the lowest) in my club, but seek off a smaller course occassionally and here progress is much more apparent. As a woman, the long par 4 and 5s seem almost unachievable, so it is nice to sometimes be able to reach the green within at least a bogey-chance ?. I guess I took up the game because I like the outdoors activity, the focus and the complexity, so I’ll keep at it. I do like to keep score just to motivate myself. I play with some other ladies who happily bang away and are about my level after 2-3 years and I’d like to think I can improve much, much faster.

I started playing 3-4 months ago, having never been on a course of touched a golf club. I am really loving the game, but frustrated with my progress. On my little 9-hole course (2100 yards) I have gone from 82 to 63, but on my proper 9-hole (3200 yds) I am stuck at 75-80. I play 3 times a week (except some breaks when I travel for work), and take lessons. I can’t practice much more as the range seems to be contributing to various injuries. My technique is definitely improving, having more control around the green and at double/triple bogey on par 3s. My main issue seems to be getting to the green on par 4 and 5 where I often spend 6-7 strokes just getting there. My tee shots are inconsistent and max 120 yds, and even though I rarely shoot OB I often just shoot 50 yds ahead. Looking at this forum, most people seem to struggle with the 100 to 120, so it is really discouraging to be at 160 (I count everything!). Did anyone start so badly, and was there a point in which things started coming together? Please share! At this point I still enjoy myself, but it’s starting to be demotivating.

As a newbie, I have absolutely no idea how far I shoot each of my clubs, and my sense of distance isn’t brilliant (doesnt help that I am used to metres and most discussions tend to be in yards). I’d like to get at least a rough sense of distance, I have a TomTom running watch which I figure I could use, or possibly an iphone app. I spent too much money on starter gear already, so would prefer not to get another gadget just yet. Any advice?

Thanks to all who gave good advice. My wrists are now fully recovered - trigger finger and tennis elbow getting much better. I basically stayed away from the range and weights at the gym, bought a bionic glove and focused on loosening my grip, and did a bunch of the wrist exercises daily. But a definite precautionary tale for newbies - don’t go crazy on the range unless you already have great wrist strength from tennis/cricket/baseball.

Coming up to my first autumn/winter here in the UK, and reckon my comfy spikeless Eccos will be too cold. Does anyone have recommendations for choice of winter shoes or boots. I have only seen a single pair of Footjoys that looked warm enough, but they had spikes, which I’d prefer to avoid. The ground rarely freezes here in London, so comfort/warmth is the main priority. Thank you!

I have recently started playing golf for the first time at 45, so not even at handicap level yet. I was partially inspired by my 70-year old father who took up the game a few years ago. He is dreadful - but loves the game - I think he is down to 36 or something, and his improvements seem to come in spurts. Likewise, I don't seem to be a natural, but I enjoy it tremendously. I consider even the worst of rounds a lovely walk and some fresh air. I know it is frustrating to be stuck, but I am assuming you enjoy it, so why give up? You may well find that you'll get a few spurts and improve, but in the meantime just have fun.

Thanks, noting this! I also got a bionic glove and they also seem to help a bit. But overall injuries are now subsiding and I have a worktrip coming up, so will have 2 weeks without golf, and hope to start from scratch - injury-wise.

I only have access to mats, not grass, here in London. I used to also use one with a fixed, hard tee, and suspect this caused much of my injuries, as banging into a fixed object can't be good. Once I recover properly, I will try a more gradual approach to swing practice to build up strength in my wrists. I am not that ambitious for now - just want to get to a point where I don't feel that I hold up a game - so bogey/double-bogey would be ok (my etiquette and pace of play is pretty good). Once I get there I'll hopefully have another 30 years to improve :-)

Ouch - sounds bad. Mine are different - wrists, fingers and elbow - basically over-use/tendonitis. I am in very good shape, but my forearms/wrists are probably weaker than I thought. I've been slowing down now for a few weeks, and it's def getting better. Funny - I've always thought of golf as a bit of a weakling game, but I stand corrected - everyone seems to go through severe injuries at some point,,,,

Thanks all. These trajectories are helpful to assesswhat I (and others in a similar position) can aspire to, depending on how much effort I am able to put into it. I would love to do more, but as I am clearly prone to injury, I'll just have to do as much as possible. I like the idea of working backwards as I think I could knock off at least 3 strokes per hole with more accurate chipping and putting, and I lose a god-awful amount on mulligans on the fairway, Good lessons is a no-brainer for me. I am not a natural, and probably a bit timid on the full swing, so need the push on a regular basis (plus it stops me getting confused when all the well-meaning blokes on the course are giving me "helpful" tips). And winter is coming (!), so I reckon I'll have a lot of quiet time to work by myself which seems to help me a lot!